Hemispheric Imaginings

“[A] novel and provocative thesis. . . . American Studies scholars will find much worth considering here.”
- Amy S. Greenberg, The Americas

“[A] solid and imaginative work. I believe historians especially will find that it opens new doors and posits new ways of looking at an old topic.” - Mark S. Joy, Canadian Journal of History

“[T]his is an interesting and innovative book. . . . Hemispheric Imaginings succeeds in broadening our understanding of the Doctrine’s significance.” - Jay Sexton, American Nineteenth Century History

“Gretchen Murphy’s skillful interweaving of the forms of diplomacy with the mores of domesticity . . . succeeds basically in placing the quintessential American foreign policy—the Monroe Doctrine—within the broader context of American letters and life.” - Alan Henrikson, National Identities

“Murphy . . . throws down the gauntlet by declaring that diplomatic historians have deliberately excluded culture from their debate and view it as an ‘unwelcome and irrational intrusion’ (p. 17). She boldly launches such an incursion in her work. . . . While we may debate the applicability of particular cultural works or phenomena to historical concepts or episodes, the dialogue should continue. And perhaps diplomatic historians and their field will be energized by the contest.” - John M. Belohlavek H-SHEAR, H-NET Reviews

“Murphy presents a rich and historically textured account of the Doctrine’s role in historically differentiated visions of the nation’s ‘location in the world,’ an account that demonstrates the importance of attending to hemispheric mediations or blockages to emergent formulations of a global American studies.” - Hsuan Hsu, Comparative American Studies

“Professor Murphy begins her study with references to comments on the Monroe Doctrine made by politicians and journalists at the beginning of the twenty-first century. The references are timely and indicate that the Monroe Doctrine is still a matter that can excite lively debate. For those seeking a fuller understanding of the historical origins and development of the Monroe Doctrine, Hemispheric Imaginings is most valuable in redirecting attention to the importance of the nineteenth century and its rich source material.” - Joseph Smith, Bulletin of Latin American Research

“To historians, this book offers an interesting example of the interplay among literature, foreign policy, and the construction of national imaginings. . . . This book is a welcome contribution to the field of transnational studies of the United States. . . . Hemispheric Imaginings provides historians of international relations new propositions to reflect upon.” - Ricardo D. Salvatore, Diplomatic History

“Hemispheric Imaginings makes an articulate, original argument for the centrality of the Monroe Doctrine to the nineteenth-century imagination. Gretchen Murphy’s exploration of the cultural influence of the Monroe Doctrine, above and beyond its political effects, is long overdue.” - Kirsten Silva Gruesz, author of Ambassadors of Culture: The Transamerican Origins of Latino Writing

“In these times of increasing attention to imperialism, protectionism, and U. S. intervention around the world, Gretchen Murphy’s study of the political and cultural articulations of the Monroe Doctrine is not only welcome but also important reading. Murphy provides an insightful genealogy of how a ‘principle’ first affirmed by James Monroe came to be a cornerstone of American diplomacy and military action; at the same time, she provides a model reading of how an ideological concept was developed and sustained.” - Susan Jeffords, author of Hard Bodies: Hollywood Masculinity in the Reagan Era